The 2012 Adventure Bucket List

Everyone needs goals. Hence this life list. In the United States, a
good case could be made that one of them should be to take more time
off. Americans have notoriously few paid vacation days: 12, compared to
21 for Canadians, 23 for the Brits, and 39 for the French. What’s more,
you may be hard pressed to find people who actually use all their
vacation days. According to a 2010 study by Expedia,
the travel company, Americans earned an average of 15 vacation days
(paid and unpaid), but only used 12 of them.

Who hasn’t heard a friend
bragging about how many hours they put in last week, or how late they
stayed at the office? What’s the problem? Even if you love your work,
taking time off will make you more effective at it. The output per
worker in most west European companies, even in France, is the same as
the output for American workers, despite far less time at work. Plus,
doctors agree, taking more time off, you’ll be more creative, feel less
stress and stay more healthy. One more reason you should take time off?
You're gonna need it to complete this list.